Larian Studios Forums Baldur's Gate III Baldur's Gate III - General Questions about BG3

Hi Forum-goers,

I'm new to the Baldur's Gate world. I have played tabletop Pathfinder in the past (never played the Pathfinder video game though)
I am looking to find out a few things about the game.

1. Does the game require you to have a party (AI) to complete content or can I complete the game solo ?
2. If having an AI party is required, do I have to make all the moves/combat for them or do they have an AI-mode and control themselves ?

Reason I ask these questions is because I would prefer if I can play through all the content solo. I'd rather not have to manage multiple (party) characters.
However, if I have to use AI party members I would sometimes like them to make their own choices in combat. I know, not ideal for optimal gameplay, but I really liked in tabletop when a party member occasionally does something unexpected. I think it spices up the gameplay and adds more fun.

You can play solo but I really wouldn't recommend it...this is a D&D game and without companions you will find combat far more difficult if not impossible, at least at first. The game has a deep narrative and especially if you go down the darker and more evil paths you may find power upgrades vast enough to where you can continue solo. And yes you do have control of the entire party in combat.

You can go solo but it really only works well if you play evil and go something sneaky like rogue or gloomstalker.

That said most of the fun of the combat in this game is combing with the party.

There will guaranteed be youtube videos of people going solo through everything. That said, they'll be extremely optimized, using every cheese/trick in the book. It's not something you'll just casually go through. You would get completely stomped.

Probably yes, but those will be highly specialized builds with advanced tactical knowledge that requires advanced understanding of all the details and intricacies of the mechanics behind the game. Most people will not be able to pull that off on their own...much less if they go in blind and don't have much knowledge of D&D. And given the vast spectrum of choice and consequence it will be nearly impossible to follow online guides for this stuff because you may end up going through entirely different areas and fighting entirely different enemies. The solo playthroughs may also use various skill monkeys to bypass encounters through skill checks and if you go down a different story path you may not have those options.

Thanks, do your party members have the ability to be "automated" in combat so they do whatever or are you required to control all party members' actions?

AFAIK there won't be any way to automate them. It's a turn-based game, so a party AI doesn't make as much sense as in real time with pause. At most you can play the game with friends and simulate the tabletop experience where everyone controls their own character.

That said, I think you'll find DnD 5e much simpler than Pathfinder if you give it a chance. Controlling 3 other characters isn't that much of a hassle and if you stick to martial classes, all you need to do with them is point and punch.

Totally under your control - no scripting like in BG1/2.

Unfortunately it's not available to turn on companions AI combat mod

you could auto skip their turns by hitting space bar ... at that point they become pack mules but to answer your main question the game is very much designed as a party adventure game

Thank you everyone for the responses.

Think of 5th edition D&D as Pathfinder for noobs. Super simplified (compared to both Pathfinder and earlier edition of D&D... except for 4th edition, but we don't talk about that one), and much "lighter" on content in cases of classes/subclasses (no prestige classes in 5e), feats selection, etc.
Otherwise, you do pretty much everything you do in Pathfinder. Minus free-form roleplay, as it is a CRPG. So, all dialogs are scripted.

Well, I think 5E is more a streamlined version of 2E.
I think the jump from 2 to 3 would be less jarring if 5 came in-between..

Would probably still dislike 3 with its skill-system and multiclass-fetish.

I heard that 4E would be a decent system if it weren't D&D - it is not bad, just way to different from other editions.
But I never had a chance to try it out.

Hi, i have a question about bard's college of lore subclass features.
In early access you get this constant Additional Proficiencies: Gain Proficiency in Arcana, Intimidation and Sleight of Hand.
But in original D&D5E in PHB you recive this bonus: Bonus proficencies: when you join the College of Lore at 3rd level, you gain proficiency with three skills of your choice.

So you can pick 3 proficiency and i want to do it instead of gaining 3 constant skills. I wonder if larian will change that in full game, i dont want my bard to have an Intimidation proficiency. Do we have any information about that?